The 2024 NRF International Conference on Public Procurement a Success

Occurring within months after the enactment of the Public Procurement Act 28 of 2024, the 2nd National Research Foundation (NRF) International Conference on Public Procurement was a major success.

The conference took place from 04 to 05 September 2024 at the NRF Corporate Offices in Brummeria, Pretoria and featured local and international leading scholars, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss the latest practices in drafting specifications and designing procedures in public procurement. The NRF hosted the conference in partnership with Stellenbosch University’s African Procurement Law Unit (APLU).

APLU Director and conference organiser, Prof Geo Quinot, announced in his closing remarks that between 400 and 450 people gathered physically and online for the conference. “I’ve been in procurement conferencing for a while, and this is by far the biggest gathering that we’ve had of this nature in the public procurement community in South Africa,” he said.

The experts covered topics such as global trends in procurement methods, standardised versus bespoke methods, and the principles underlying the formulation of specifications.

The design of regulations for the implementation of the Public Procurement Act in South Africa was another topic that emerged strongly. Prof Mosa Moshabela, Chairperson of the NRF Board, tipped the conference to be seminal in the implementation of the Act. “As we develop the regulations that will guide the implementation of the Public Procurement Act, we need input from experts, practitioners and academics like yourselves. Your contributions will help ensure that our new procurement system is not only aligned with global best practices and standards but also is responsive to the unique challenges and opportunities our country offers,” he said.

“This, of course, aligns perfectly with the mandate of the NRF in service of our country. However, in convening this conference the NRF is not only serving South Africa, but indeed also playing a leading role in the global research community by facilitating this high-level engagement with core aspects of public procurement internationally.”

NRF Board Chairperson and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Prof Moshabela, lauded the approval of the public procurement legislation by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 23 July 2024. “This is a significant milestone in the history of procurement reform in our country. For the first time we now have a comprehensive Public Procurement Act. Prior to this procurement, legislation in South Africa was highly fragmented and spread across various statutes and regulations. This new Act brings coherence and focus to our procurement system to provide a single framework that governs public procurement by all organs of state.”

“Public procurement can be a major driver for innovation,” said Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, NRF CEO, welcoming the fact that innovation was mentioned a number of times in the Act. “I’m pleased that the procurement team here at the NRF played a significant role by providing constructive critique of the early versions of the Public Procurement Bill. We were able to ensure that the focus on the procurement of innovation in the Act is much stronger than it was in the earlier versions.”

He added, “Our intention as the NRF is to continue playing a role in the development of the regulations for the Public Procurement Act and to ensure that these regulations are appropriate to the needs of the science and innovation system. But more than that, for the general public.”